


the personal trainer incident

by waveydnp



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Reality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 04:25:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11455953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waveydnp/pseuds/waveydnp
Summary: phil comes home after throwing up at the gym and dan has some feelings about it





	the personal trainer incident

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by phil's Why I can't go back to the gym.. video, and the way dan was super angry and defensive on phil's behalf in his liveshow that week

Phil enters their flat wordlessly. He’d been gone less than half an hour.

Phil is a pale guy, but Dan doesn’t think he’s ever seen him _this_ pale. He’s gone beyond sallow and into the realm of translucent, his face a sickly green colour usually reserved for mint chocolate chip ice cream or a bottle of Volvic. His hands are trembling more than usual and his forehead is sweaty despite the chill of the mid-March morning.

“That was quick. Why are you back so quickly?”

Phil remains silent. He sways a little as he takes off his coat.

“Phil, what happened?” There is an edge of worry laced into Dan's words.

Dan knows Phil is out of shape. He knows because he is too and at this point there’s no denying that they spend the majority of their time together, and lately that has meant hibernating after the stress and exertion of the tour. He’d known Phil probably wouldn’t come back from his first trip to the gym in years looking fresh. But he hadn’t expected a twenty minute jog to make Phil look like _that_.

Phil tries to escape to his bedroom, avoiding Dan’s inquisitorial eyes, but Dan catches his hand before he can get away. “God, why are you so clammy?”

“Don’t wanna tell you,” Phil mumbles. His voice is shaky. “’S embarrassing.”

“Phil.” Dan’s voice is firm.

Phil looks at his feet. “I threw up,” he mutters. “Twice.”

“What the fuck?”

The story Phil recounts reluctantly is quietly horrifying. Dan hears something about flipping a tractor tire, burpees and an inclined treadmill. Honestly, he doesn’t catch everything over the rising hum of anger between his ears.

“I was actually sick in my mouth and had to swallow it.”

Dan can tell that Phil’s trying to laugh about it now to minimize the trauma and embarrassment, but the smile he forces doesn’t reach his eyes and Dan feels himself snap a little.

“You told the person on the phone what you wanted!” Despite himself, his voice comes out loud and shrill. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I did… eventually,” Phil insists weakly. “He just didn’t listen to me.”

Dan pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “For fuck’s sake Phil, you need to learn to assert yourself.” His tone is cross—they’ve had this argument more times than he can count.

“I know,” Phil chokes and Dan feels something hot and sour like guilt twist in his stomach. This man in front of him, this man who apologizes when people bump into him or stand on his foot, who will never tell an obnoxious person in the cinema to shut up, this man who avoids confrontation at all costs—he’s in pain. The universe has just inflicted something terrifying on him that he didn’t deserve and Dan is stood here berating him.

Phil huffs out a surprised breath as Dan’s arms wrap around his shoulders a little more roughly than intended. Dan feels Phil’s jittery body relax slowly, and Phil’s arms eventually drift upwards to loosely envelop Dan’s waist. Phil tilts his head to the side and rests it on Dan’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” Dan says softly. “It’s not your fault.”

“It is. I should’ve just said no. I just… it feels so hard in the moment.”

“I know.” Dan can’t pretend he knows the feeling, but he knows by now that for Phil, suffering immeasurably is somehow easier than saying no. “But it’s still not your fault. That trainer should’ve listened to you. What is wrong with him?” He can feel the irritation bubbling up again. How dare someone whose job it is to help people exercise be so blind to the distress he’s causing—

“Dan?”

“Hmm?” Dan mutters, his internal rage-fest interrupted suddenly.

“I need to go brush my teeth.” 

* 

Dan sits on the bathroom counter and watches Phil brush his teeth. He can’t shake the queasy feeling in his own stomach at the thought of his Phil sat on the dirty floor of a gym toilet, sick in his mouth and all alone. His brain vacillates between outrage and quiet despair. Phil may be older, and generally less socially awkward, but sometimes Dan feels like a protector as much as a boyfriend.

Once Phil’s teeth are brushed, Dan leads him to the lounge and gently insists he drink some water. He puts Steven Universe on the tv and sits with his back against the arm of the sofa. He opens his legs and positions Phil between them, pulling him down to rest the back of his head against Dan’s chest. He runs his fingers slowly through Phil’s silky black hair and gently massages his scalp. He sees Phil close his eyes and sigh. 

“I’ve a mind to call them up, if I’m honest,” Dan says, because he just can’t seem to shake the part of his brain that simmers with the injustice of it all.

“God, please don’t, Dan. Please.”

“Why? It’s not right—”

“I know,” Phil says quickly, squeezing Dan’s knee. “But I’m embarrassed enough as it is.”

“Why should _you_ be so embarrassed? They’re the ones who can’t do their job properly.”

“I know. It’s just like… he must have thought I was such a weirdo. Some guy that doesn’t know how to exercise turns up, does one minute of running and then leaves with no explanation.”

Dan thinks for a minute. “Phil.”

“What?”

“Was this trainer by any chance…hot?”

Phil is silent.

“Phil!”

“Mayyyybe,” Phil laughs then, and Dan ignores the irrational and frankly annoying twinge of jealousy in favour of the satisfaction he feels at finally bringing a smile to Phil’s face. 

“You twat.” He chuckles fondly. “Was he your type?”

“I mean, he looked like if Zac Efron and the Rock had a baby, so, yeah.”

“Well thanks to you I’ll never get to see your hunky trainer.”

“Why not? You don’t have to actually train with him,” Phil says, sounding confused. “I’m the awkward one who can’t say no, not you.”

“No, Phil, I can’t go to that gym. Ever.”

“Why?”

Dan cups Phil’s chin and gently pulls his head round to look into his eyes. “Because if I ever see that guy I’ll tear him a new asshole.”

He is rewarded with a blinding smile that lights up Phil’s whole face.

“I guess we’ll just have to stay inside and be out of shape and useless together, then,” Phil says, pecking Dan on the lips and turning back to watch their show. 

Dan smiles. That’s all he ever really wants to do anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> waveydnp on tumblr :)


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